Safety device and drain attachment for locomotive-superheaters.



D. H. GRIFFITH.

y SAFETY DEVICE AND DRAIN ATTACHMENT FOR LQGOMOTIVE SUPBBHEAIEBS. Y

' APPLIOATION FILED 001.11, 1912.

1,122,912. Patented 1190.211914.

D. H. GRIFFITH.

SAFETY DEVICE AND DRAIN ATTACHMENT EOE LoGoMoTIVE SUPEEEEATEES.

APPLICATION FILED OGT.11, 1912.

11,122,912. Patented De@.29,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

En sTATEs rara u DAVID H. GRIFFITH, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

Smm nEvrcEfANn naam `.a'r'iuicnivmnr ron LocoMoTIvE-snrnnnnarnas.

Toall whom it mayy concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID H. GRIFFITH, a

citizen ofthe United States, residing at Wil-` cation.

This invention relates to a safety device and drain for locomotive superheaters, and the primary object of the same is to provide simple and effective means for. liberating steam that may remain in the superheater after the throttle valve has been shut oif and also for liberating steam that may be generated by water of condensation settling in variousparts or connections communicating with the superheater and in the latter in firing up when the locomotiveis standing, or, in preparing the latter for a run, and thereby overcome lack of control and avoid accidents due to steam that may remain in the superheater or be generated in parts' of the boiler and the superheater and outside of the control of the throttle valve.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts which will bemorc fully hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of a locomotive boiler showing the improved safety device or attachment applied thereto., Fig. 2 is a cross- .sectional view through a locomotive boiler,

the running boards and part of the framework,:illustrating a portion of the boiler broken away.

The numeral 5 designates a locomotive boiler of a well known type of construction embodying a superheater 6 with pipes 7 runningrearwardly into the iues 8 and a supply pipe 9 which runs back to the steam dome and is supplied with the usual form of throttle valve and an operating means extending backwardly into the cab of the locomotive. Extending from the superheater 6 are cylinder feed pipes 10 connecting with the cylinders 11. in the usual manner, it be- Specification ofLetters Patent. :Patntmlem 29', 1914, Application'led October 11, 1912. Serial No. 725,3M. l

ing understood that there are two of these pipes 10 or one for each cylinder.

The parts just described are well known -in locomotive construction and are believed to be suiicient to'demonstrate the application and operation of the safety device or drain for the superheater which will be now explained. Attached to the bottom of the superheater 6 are drain pipes 12, the upperV ends of these pipes communicating with the body of the superheater immediately in rear and close tothe points of attachment of the cylinder feed pipes 10. The drain pipes 12 extend downwardly through the boiler 5 and then exteriorly of the latter as shown by Fig. 2 and are preferably curved under the boiler inside of the cylinders and in rear of the saddle, and each terminates in a drain valve 13 having an operating lever 14:, all as clearly shown by Fi 2. In rear of the cylinders and saddle o? the engine and eX- tending through and having bearing in opposite portions 15 of the rame is a rock shaft. 16 provided with arms 17 extending upwardly and movably attached to the levers 14. At one end of the shaft 16, an operating lever 18 is secured and has a connecting rod 19 attached to the upper end thereof and extending rearwardly under one of the foot-boards 20 to the engine cab where it will .be provided with a suitable operating lever or other means for longitudinally shifting the same in opposite directions to simultaneously open or close the drain valves or cocks 13.

The improved safety` device or drain attachmentmay be readily applied to the locomotive and connected up' to the superheater without requiring any modication come, and among' others may be stated the parts of the superheater after the throttle valve has been shut off and the condensation of the residual steam withink the fines,

and a subsequent generation of steam whenthe locomotive is fired up prior to a run and after it has been resting or in disuse as, for instance, in a round-house or at any other point, land this failure to control the residual steam or steam generated from Water of condensation in the fines or other parts of the superheater has resulted in annoyances and accidents by reason of the fact that this residual steam, as well as the steam generated from the water of condensation in the dues and other parts of the superheater, is free to pass through the feed pipes 10 into the cylinders and start the locomotive in motion.

By the use of the improved safety device or drain attachment, the engineer or driver of the locomotive, after the throttle valve has been shut off or closed, may immediately open the drain valves or cocks 13 by operating the rod 19 and through the lever 18 actuating the shaft 16 to cause the arms 17 to move the valve levers 14 into a position to open the said valves or cocks, and as a consequence, all of the residual steam in the superheater will be permitted to blow out or escape to the exterior of the boiler at points below the latter and between the cylinders in rear of the saddle, and by this escape, settlino' of the steam and condensation thereof in the iues is prevented, and, furthermore, such steam instead of passing into the cylinders will escape to the atmosphere as the ventage therefor through the medium of the pipes 12 is in rear of the points of connection or attachment of the feed pipes 10 to the superheater, as hereinbefore explained. A further function of the attachment is to liberate the tubes of collected water therein that may result from an overflow of the boiler in filling the latter. Such water remaining in the tubes would be converted into steam which would-How down into the cylinders as it could not be-controlled by the throttlevalve. The object in locating the valves or cocks 13 under the boiler in planes between the cylinders and in rear of the saddle is to direct the steam exhausted from the superheater downwardly under the boiler so that there may be no inconvenience from such steam escapin at points adjacent to the outer portions o the cylinders.

'The improved safety device or drain attachment is comparatively inexpensive in its structure and cost of application and the advantages accruing from its use will more .than compensate for its' cost in that accidents to locomotives, due to the uncontrolled tion with a boiler, a superheater therein, and

a steam supply pipe, ofa header having a horizontal chamber with a flat bottom having the supply pipe connected to the rear portion thereof, superheater units connected to the fiat bottom of the horizontal chamber having feed pipes extending from the upper portions thereof upwardly to and directly attached to the front wall of the horizontal chamber on opposite sides of the center of,

the header, drain pipes connected to the said flat bottom of the horizontal chamber between the points of attachment of the superheater units to said bottom andthe front wall of the chamber so that the chamber may be drained at a point between the superheater units and the feed pipes leading to the cylinders, the drain pipes extending outwardly, the said drain pipes extending out laterally through opposite intermediate side portions of the boiler and then downwardly exteriorly of the latter to a point below the same between the cylinders, valves in the lower exterior ends of the drain pipes, and mechanism for simultaneously operating the valves to open and close the latter and the said pipes, the exterior location of the drain pipes facilitating the condensation of residual steampermitted to escape therethrough that may pass off with the moisture drained from the header.

2. In a locomotive engine, the combina-n latter, of a drain pipe connected to the bottom of the header at each side of the center of the latter between the points of attachment of the superheater units and each cylinder feed pipe, the drain pipes depending from the header through the upper portion of the boiler and then outwardly through the latter to the exterior and downwardly under the boiler, the drain pipes having nozzles at their lower ends provided with valves, and means connected to the valves of the nozzles for simultaneously opening and closing the said valves, the drain pipes permitting the escape of residual steam and water .of condensation from the header at points adjacent to the ends of my hand in presence of two subscribing Witthe superheater units attached thereto so nesses. that any steam generated and not controllable through the supply pipe connected to Ffthe header may be prevented from entering IVitnesses:

the cylinder feed pipes. R. D. SHELDON, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set J. D. GIBSON.

DAVID H. GRIFFITH. 

